Ouyang Ye continued to stare fixedly at Mu Anxiao, saying lightly, "You, this lad, you look quite delicate. If you weren't wearing these clothes," he scanned Mu Anxiao up and down, "it would be hard to tell you're a man."
Mu Anxiao knew that Ouyang Ye's words had a purpose, but from her understanding of him, if he had recognized her, his attitude would have been different. Therefore, she deliberately avoided thinking in that direction.
However, even so, she couldn't show any weakness in front of him. Because once she did, he might become unnecessarily curious about her.
In that case, even if she wasn't discovered, being pestered by him would be a troublesome affair.
Thus, she suppressed her nervousness and continued to look at Ouyang Ye calmly, saying, "Your words make me feel rather uncomfortable."
"What's wrong?" Ouyang Ye smiled. "You won't even let me speak?"
"Uncle, what do you do here at the manor?" Mu Anxiao deliberately tried to change the subject.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's words, Ouyang Ye was reminded of his current appearance. Then, as if his soft spot had been pricked, he gave a dry laugh, "You, lad, you don't even know who I am."
"I'm new here," Mu Anxiao emphasized deliberately.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Ye deliberately said, "You don't even know who I am, yet you're afraid of me."
"I thought you were with the person who ordered me around, so I assumed you were his father. But looking closer," Mu Anxiao said calmly, "I realized you don't resemble him at all."
"What do you mean by that?" Ouyang Ye tilted his chin.
Mu Anxiao curled her lips, "Your clothes."
"Just because of the clothes?" Ouyang Ye said softly.
"Although you look a bit old, if I'm not mistaken, even if you had children, they couldn't be that old," Mu Anxiao stated righteously.
Ouyang Ye nodded.
Mu Anxiao frowned, "What do you mean by just nodding?"
"You've made a lot of sense," he said, smiling.
Mu Anxiao didn't humble herself, "I think what I said makes sense too. So," she narrowed her eyes, "can you tell me what you do now?"
"I'm a coachman."
"Coachman," Mu Anxiao repeated, nodding. "Oh, so you're just a horse puller."
After hearing Mu Anxiao's words, Ouyang Ye's face fell.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao said, "Why the long face?"
"You think you're being very funny, don't you?" Saying this, Ouyang Ye took a step forward.
Mu Anxiao flinched back a step and said, "Not really. I just find it embarrassing that I'm afraid of you, a mere coachman." She pouted.
"You're looking down on me," Ouyang Ye stated directly.
Mu Anxiao waved her hand, "Not at all. Everyone works hard. But," she said, "I've never seen a coachman like you before."
"What about me?" Ouyang Ye retorted.
Mu Anxiao sneered, "You act like a master, as if you own this General's manor." She clearly put on a disdainful expression.
Ouyang Ye fell silent.
Mu Anxiao calmly looked at Ouyang Ye's silent expression and deliberately said, "What, did my words stimulate you?"
"Not at all. It's just," Ouyang Ye smiled faintly, "you look so familiar."
Familiar?
Mu Anxiao had said so much precisely to divert Ouyang Ye's attention. She hadn't expected such a reply from him. Looking at him, she deliberately put on a cold expression and said, "You look familiar to me too."
"Who do I resemble?"
"You resemble a man from my village. Speaking of which," Mu Anxiao said, "is your family also a lineage of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners?"
"Traditional Chinese medicine?"
"To be honest, I come from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. I'm here to hone my skills. In the future, I will definitely open my own medical clinic. If you ever need anything, remember to come to me for treatment."
"What's your name?" Ouyang Ye suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao casually replied, "My name is Cao Gen."
"Cao Gen," Ouyang Ye repeated casually.
Mu Anxiao "tsk"-ed, annoyed, "Can you speak properly? My name is Cao Gen, not 'cao gen' (wild grass)."
"Your surname is Cao?" Ouyang Ye said softly.
Mu Anxiao nodded, and without hesitation, said, "I always tell my father that this name isn't good, but my father insists that this name is closest to medicinal herbs. Alas," she sighed, "I really don't know what he's thinking."
"Is that so?" Ouyang Ye immediately lost interest in her.
On the contrary, Mu Anxiao saw the effect from Ouyang Ye's expression and started speaking haphazardly, "Actually, the reason I came here is twofold: firstly, to temper myself as a servant, and secondly, to find a master."
"Find a master?" Ouyang Ye asked, clearly losing patience with Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao nodded, "Yes. I heard there's a doctor in this General's manor. I'm going to find him now. If he's unwilling to take me, I'll find Shu'er and have Shu'er speak up for me. But," she frowned, "I've looked all over here and can't find Shu'er. It's strange." After saying this, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't met Ouyang Ye in that courtyard, meaning Ouyang Ye hadn't seen her.
But the first thing Ouyang Ye said to her by the rockery was why she wasn't with the General?
Thinking this, Mu Anxiao became nervous. She even suspected that he had pretended not to see her? That he had actually seen everything but was playing dumb.
"Is the Shu'er you mentioned a maid in this manor?" Ouyang Ye asked.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao continued to look at Ouyang Ye, changing the subject, "How strange, how did you know I was following the General?" She wanted to see if her guess was right.
Ouyang Ye, "You guess."
"If I could guess, I wouldn't be asking you," Mu Anxiao said impatiently.
Ouyang Ye smiled, "I just went to the servants' quarters. They mentioned you. When I saw you, I just said it."
"You're really quite the self-introducer," Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief, completely abandoning her previous thoughts.
Ouyang Ye smiled, "That's my strong point."
"At your age, you're still so childish," Mu Anxiao said, a smile playing on her lips. "When I open my clinic, you..."
"I have something to do," Ouyang Ye interrupted, not wanting to listen further.
Mu Anxiao deliberately said, "What could you possibly have to do? I'm telling you, I..."
"I'm going to find someone," Ouyang Ye said, then walked past Mu Anxiao and into the courtyard.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao turned her body to look at Ouyang Ye's receding back, relieved. 'It seems he dislikes people who talk too much.' Thinking this, she clasped her silver needle and turned away.